Richard
Elite Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2000
- Messages
- 4,984
- Location
- Knoxville, TN
- Tractor
- International 1066 Full sized JCB Loader/Backhoe and a John Deere 430 to mow with
Since I'm a sport, I thought I'd share this so anyone that cares to laugh at me.....can.
Was cutting some grass yesterday with the 430. Put it back where its parked and went to refuel it. I didn't cut much so it didn't need much.
(back story: I use 5 gallon yellow cans for my diesel)
I got done filling.... my brain must have been ....well....God knows where it was. I picked up with one hand, the (plastic jug) filler neck along with the little half dollar sized cap that seals it (the screw cap was off).... and instead of sliding them ever so deftly into the yellow jug.... I deftly slid them right into the open mouth of my 430 fuel tank.
I immediatly realized what I had (stupidly) done... saw the cap floating, reached my fingers in there to try to retrieve it in vain... it was sort of showing me the classic "help me I'm drowning 3,2,1 fingers" as it slipped ever so quietly into the now full abyss of the tank.
CRAP.... NOW what am I going to do...
Got a hanger to try to fish something out.... no luck.
I've got some LONG (almost 12") plier/grippers..... no luck.
Somewhere I have a flexible grabber with the fingers that retract to grab something....I'll be damned if I can find it so, no luck.
I finally realize I have to empty the tank. Got my siphon out and started pulling the diesel back out into the very tanks I just emptied it from. While doing this, the mower decided the (minor) slope it was on, was now enough to make it start to slowly roll backwards.
So now, I'm holding a half filled diesel can in my hands, trying to keep the siphon from blubbering fuel everywhere, I have another tank in the way of getting run over by the (non-running) blades... I'm holding the mower from rolling back with my one hand/arm/shoulder as I try to move some things so it can move back (to the bump in the ground which keeps it from going anywhere)
Got tank emptied, couldn't find anything. Got the straightened hanger back out, fished around.....nothing.
Finally heard the faint voice in the back of my head saying I'm going to need to remove the tank which means the back end of machine has to come off.
Ugh...
Pull back end off, look for bolts on tank and had ONE thing go in my favor as I realized it doesn't need to be bolted down and if I wiggle here & here.... YEP, it will pull right out. Except, I have a bunch of wires around it, fuel lines holding it in.... so I lift part of tank, wiggle it some and now, I see the spout from my diesel tank!!!
Get the hanger, put some strategic bends in it....got it lifted and used the LONG grabbers to pull it out.
Now, about that little cap in there.... maybe I'll let it go however, I just KNOW that it will perfectly land on the fuel outlet, plugging entire tank and annoying me for years to come.....no, it must also come out.
I finally wrestle the tank enough where I can get it out from under the hoses and angle it up.... nothing happening.
I look in there.....siphon some more diesel out (now, it's about dry)
Finally I say the heck with what fuel might be in there and just rotate tank upside down, expecting to see a gallon of diesel blow out the opening but.... didn't happen.
Left it angled downward, took free hand and slapped tank a couple times on the sides, bottom and all the sudden....
"kerplunk" the cap fell right onto the tractor frame!
As I was putting it back together, I found that I had a buggered up front mounting bolt (as in the rubber part was trashed by prior owner)
So I pulled it all out and will have to replace that.
As I type this, I'm realizing the only thing I didn't do was plug the rear lights back in.
Don't care. I called it a day.
So when you're putting your lids back on, don't be a dumbazz like I was.
Was cutting some grass yesterday with the 430. Put it back where its parked and went to refuel it. I didn't cut much so it didn't need much.
(back story: I use 5 gallon yellow cans for my diesel)
I got done filling.... my brain must have been ....well....God knows where it was. I picked up with one hand, the (plastic jug) filler neck along with the little half dollar sized cap that seals it (the screw cap was off).... and instead of sliding them ever so deftly into the yellow jug.... I deftly slid them right into the open mouth of my 430 fuel tank.
I immediatly realized what I had (stupidly) done... saw the cap floating, reached my fingers in there to try to retrieve it in vain... it was sort of showing me the classic "help me I'm drowning 3,2,1 fingers" as it slipped ever so quietly into the now full abyss of the tank.
CRAP.... NOW what am I going to do...
Got a hanger to try to fish something out.... no luck.
I've got some LONG (almost 12") plier/grippers..... no luck.
Somewhere I have a flexible grabber with the fingers that retract to grab something....I'll be damned if I can find it so, no luck.
I finally realize I have to empty the tank. Got my siphon out and started pulling the diesel back out into the very tanks I just emptied it from. While doing this, the mower decided the (minor) slope it was on, was now enough to make it start to slowly roll backwards.
So now, I'm holding a half filled diesel can in my hands, trying to keep the siphon from blubbering fuel everywhere, I have another tank in the way of getting run over by the (non-running) blades... I'm holding the mower from rolling back with my one hand/arm/shoulder as I try to move some things so it can move back (to the bump in the ground which keeps it from going anywhere)
Got tank emptied, couldn't find anything. Got the straightened hanger back out, fished around.....nothing.
Finally heard the faint voice in the back of my head saying I'm going to need to remove the tank which means the back end of machine has to come off.
Ugh...
Pull back end off, look for bolts on tank and had ONE thing go in my favor as I realized it doesn't need to be bolted down and if I wiggle here & here.... YEP, it will pull right out. Except, I have a bunch of wires around it, fuel lines holding it in.... so I lift part of tank, wiggle it some and now, I see the spout from my diesel tank!!!
Get the hanger, put some strategic bends in it....got it lifted and used the LONG grabbers to pull it out.
Now, about that little cap in there.... maybe I'll let it go however, I just KNOW that it will perfectly land on the fuel outlet, plugging entire tank and annoying me for years to come.....no, it must also come out.
I finally wrestle the tank enough where I can get it out from under the hoses and angle it up.... nothing happening.
I look in there.....siphon some more diesel out (now, it's about dry)
Finally I say the heck with what fuel might be in there and just rotate tank upside down, expecting to see a gallon of diesel blow out the opening but.... didn't happen.
Left it angled downward, took free hand and slapped tank a couple times on the sides, bottom and all the sudden....
"kerplunk" the cap fell right onto the tractor frame!
As I was putting it back together, I found that I had a buggered up front mounting bolt (as in the rubber part was trashed by prior owner)
So I pulled it all out and will have to replace that.
As I type this, I'm realizing the only thing I didn't do was plug the rear lights back in.
Don't care. I called it a day.
So when you're putting your lids back on, don't be a dumbazz like I was.
